Reasurrance on new stove

[tjcole50]

Well this whole week has shown the old country comfort insert with no block off plate and only 10 ft of pipe vertical meeting the clay liner can't keep up. The house is at 58-63 degrees at night with kerosene helping. Will my new englander nc-30 block off plate and full liner really be a vast improvement worth the money? The nc30 will stick out 1/2 way on to the raised hearth. Really hoping this thing can handle temperature drops like we are having . -10 degree nights with 25 ft cathedral ceilings are killing me haha
Just trying to get some reassurance on money and energy spent with the new stove which will be here in about a week. Are my expectations to high hoping I can consistantly hit 70 + degrees?

 

[bluedogz]

I'll be the first to say... how's your wood? The 30 is a beast but it hates less-than-primo wood.

 

[tjcole50]

Ash seasoned 1.25 years and oak and hickory waiting till next winter making it 1.5 years
I do know radiant heat will be huge help. The insert you can put your hand on. Offers zero radiant heat

 

[bluedogz]

I am burning hickory now C/S/S 2 years and the 30 is heating 2500sf pretty well.

I can't speak for the setup as mine is free-standing on a raised hearth, but someone here will...

 

[begreen]

With dry wood, a block-off plate and a blower on the 30NC it should make a major difference.

 

[tjcole50]

I sure hope so. Feel bad the woman has to put up with a cold house right now but I think everyone is with this gnarly snap. If this new setup doesn't hold it's own we're going outdoor boiler in a couple years. I have 17 acres behind me of nasty fallen storm damage that I will not cut and bring in the house . But I figure outdoor boiler won't mind eating it. Hope for the best that the nc30 can save me from financing a big ol boiler!
Edit
Being the chimney is on an exterior masonry anyone think it is worth it to use roxul around fireplace opening and then sheet metal to hold ? Basically a metal insulated fireplace opening?

 

[Jags]

Do the 30 with full liner and block off. You won't be sorry.

 

[tjcole50]

Oh I am first but we decided if it can't handle the whole house were going to have to implement an add on or an outdoor boiler . Just hope my expectations aren't to high

 

[BrotherBart]

Don't know about -10 but it was 14 when I went to bed last night and 7 when I got up and it was 73 downstairs and 70 upstairs in this 2,500 sq. ft. barn with exactly that same setup. Loaded it at nine PM and reloaded at eight AM both with large splits of bone dry oak.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[tjcole50]

You have higher ceilings bb? If so that is very good news!

 

[Jags]

Which model and what size is the firebox? My statement was based off of your comment about touching the stove. You sure as heck won't with the 30 unless it isn't burning properly. Are you sure that your current stove is?

 

[tjcole50]

I mean it's nice cold but it's not to hot you can't. It's a country comfort cc325 with a bad cat and warped baffle. Insert is hooked to 10 ft section of flex and dumping into clay flue no block off and no insulation... Anyone ever insulate fireplace opening and use sheet metal to stop the outside brick soaking up heat? Or is that a waste of time

 

[BrotherBart]

You have higher ceilings bb? If so that is very good news!

Nope. Plain old 8 foot ceilings. Get a boiler if that is what you think will get the job done.

 

[tjcole50]

Well have to wait and see how the nc-30 performs just bored wanted some experiences I hope it crushes this our current setup and saves me a ton of money!

 

[Jags]

Bad cat. Warped baffle. The ability to touch the stove...that stove doesn't stand a chance

 

[tjcole50]

You can touch the top where the air jacket wraps around for blower. Like I said zero radiant heat off this insert I think that alone is going to be a massive change for us and the back part of nc30 having the blower inside fireplace should still work great

 

[Jags]

I would venture a guess that it will be a vast improvement

 

[BrotherBart]

Yeah but cleaning or repairing the blower back there is virtually impossible. Mine has been back there dead for years. I use a smaller blower blowing into the fireplace to move the heat out now. There is a $180 paperweight attached to the back of the stove.

 

[tjcole50]

Yeah but cleaning or repairing the blower back there is virtually impossible. Mine has been back there dead for years. I use a smaller blower blowing into the fireplace to move the heat out now. There is a $180 paperweight attached to the back of the stove.

Ouch lets hope mine will hold up!
You should build a cherry picker slide in grab pull out lol. Did you just get a bad blower or was its positioning the real killer? Is the heat shield open to the bottom where you could slide a blower under it to blow air up from the ground through the shield? If that makes sense

 

[BrotherBart]

It had a failing bearing from day one. But I was too worn out from humping it and other heavy stuff to pull the liner up and pull the stove back out. That is one advantage of inserts with the blower front mounted. I took the AC-16 blower that came with the second 30 and put it in the front corner of the fireplace blowing into it and it does every bit as good a job and doesn't cool the stovetop like the one on the back did.

 

[tjcole50]

Gonna be relying on mine to throw heat at a good rate need to try and push under our loft those ceilings really eat up the heat